Dial-holding mechanism



Jami. 29 1924.

W. A. SIMOND DIAL HOLDING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 17, 1919 2 Sheets-sheet IFig.2.

Jan. 29 1924.

w. A. SIMOND DIAL HOLDING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 17, 1919' zsheetsaneeyzPatented Jan. 29, 1924.

UNITED STATES WALTER A. SIMOND, or FRANKLIN, NEW nAEtrs rEE, assrenon'ro ACME KNITTING MACHINE & NEEDLE COMPANY, 0E FRANKLIN, NEWHarrrsnran'n CORPORATION on NEW HAMPSHIRE.

DIAL-HOLDING MECHANISM.

Application filed November 17, 1919. Serial No. 338,678.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER A. SIMOND, acitizen of the United States, residing at Franklin, in the county ofMerrimack and provide some means for holding the dial stationary. Thepresent invention aims to provlde a superlor 'IIIGChZtIllSHl forperforms ing this function and especially to devise a mechanism of thischaracter inwhichcam operated slides usually employed for this purposeand which are liable to produce a rocking motion of the dial will not berequired. V

V The nature of the invention will be readily understood fromthefollowing description when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

Referring. now 'to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a vertical cross sectional view through the upper part ofone form of knitting machine equipped with a mechanism embodying thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the dial holding mechanism shown in Fig.'1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a modified form of the invention; and

' Fig. 4 is a vertical cross sectional view of the mechanism shown inFig. 3.

The invention is herein illustrated as applied toa circular knittingmachine of the type in which either plainor ribbed work maybe knitted-atwill, although it is chvious that the invention is equally applicable tomachines designed simply for ribbing. The drawings show the invention asapplied to the machinedisclosed in application Serial No. 293,113 filedApril' 28, 1919.

In the drawings, 2 designates the dial plate in which the horizontalneedles are supported and guided, the needles being operated by a cam 3secured to the lower end of a sleeve 4:. The upper end of said sleeve isclamped in the yoke 5 which is rigidly connected with the cam cylinderof the machine and consequentlyrotates with said cylinder, as will beevident to those skilled in this art. The dial 2 is pinned Ito a shaftor post '6 which extends upwardly through a sleeve 4 and projects beyondthe upper end of said sleeve. Keyed to the upperendof the shaft 6 is aspur gear 7 providedwith a hub that extends both above and belowthefaces of the gear. as clearly shown in Fig; 1.' An internal gear 8encircles the spur gear 7 and is fastened by screws 10 to theuppersurface of a bracket 12 which is secured rigidly to the machine frame. Acircular aperture is formed in this bracket to snugly receive a disk 14which is secured fast to the upper end of the yoke 5 bymeans of screws,one

of which is shown at 15. A planetary gearing is carried by the disk 14and positively connects the internal gear 8 with the spur gear 7, thisgearing being of such a ratio that as the disk' 14 revolves. with thecam cylinder of the machine the planetary.

carriedby the disk 14 supports the gear 16.

It will be clear that since this gearing forms a positive connectionbetween the stationary gear 8 and the spur gear 7, it

is only necessary to select the proper gear ratio to enable this gearingto hold the spur gear 7-against rotative movement, and since this spurgear is secured fast," to the dial 2 it is obvious that if the gear isheld stationary the'dial also must be held stationary.

adjustment of the stationary annular gear 8 in its seat in the bracket12, slots are provided in the gear through which the screwslO extend, asclearly shown in Fig. 2. -For the purpose of guiding the thread or yarnto the thread ring, a thread tube 20 is secured in the disk 14 andextends the'rethrough so that it will rotate in unison with the needleoperating cam. Since the planetary gearing is carried by the disk 14:there is no possibility of interference In .order to permit an angularnear 8 is em olo ed.

1. somewhat different form of the invention "a ed in Figs, 2-3 and i inwhich 'tl' spending to those shown in F' o. 9, designated by thesame ini those used in the latter figures, the erals. however being primed. Inthi the invent 1 the same general construction is employ ed but itincludes some refinements in hanioal details.

mec The bracket 12 secured by a set screw 24; to rod 25 that issupported in another bracket 26 mounted for vertical adjustment on astationary rod 2?, the connections bc tween the parts 25, 26 and 27being made bysetscrews 2S and 29, Fig. 3. This constructionis advantagesince, whenever it is desired to disconnect tl-e shaft 6 from the dialholui. mechanism, as, for instance, when the rib dial is to be changed,itis merely necessary to loosen the set screw 29, whs-zrenpon thebrackets 26 and 12 can be raised until the lower edge of the bracketlQficlears the upper end of the shaft 6. The parts so elevated can thenbe'swung out the remaining parts of the oi? the way oi in e ch an ism Inthis construction also a less expensive method of locating and holdingthe internal A groove 36 having a downwardly inclined wall is cut in theperipheral edge of the gear, as clearly shown in 4-, and set screws 30arethreaded thron, ;h the bracket 12 and engage the inclined wall ofthis groove, the set screws thus operating to secure the gear 8 firmlyin its seat and at the same time providing for the convenient adjustmentof this gear.

The central gear '5 in this construction rests on a thrust washer 31instead of resting directly on the top of the sleeve 4, as in the castrnction previously described. This arrangement has the advantage ofpermitting a vertical adjustment of the parts d i without disturbing theshaft 6' or the gear 7.

The form of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4 also difiers from thatabove described in that the studs 32 and 33, respectively, on whichthegears 16 and 17 rotate,'are provided with shoulders, the'shouloer onthe stud 32 being indicated at 37 rig. at. These shoulders orenlargements bear on the bottoms of sockets formed in the upper surfaceof the disk 14: and the threaded shank of each stud projects through thedisk and l as a nut, such as 34, l, threaded thereon o secure it firmlyto the disk By locating these studs in slots of suitable shape, asindicated at 34 and S5, 3, provision is made for adjusting the V to takeup any back lash or lost motion that may develop as the gears become Inthis connection it may also be stated that if any thrust develops laterto disturb the position of the central gear, such thrust can be balancedby changing the position of the yarn tube and using one or two more setsof planetary gears in opposite positions;

it will nowbe evident that this invention provides a very simplemechanism for bold ing the dial against rotation and guiding the threadto the thread ring, that this m chanism can be very economicallymanufactured, and that it avoids the rocking of the dial whichfrequently is produced by the cam slide mechanisms for performing thisfunction.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a knitting machine having aneedle dial and a'cani for operatingthe needles -mounted in said dial, a mechanism for hold-- 'ng'the dialstationary while the camrcvolves, comprising, in combination, an airnular gear, means supporting said gear in a fixed position, a secondgear of smaller pitch circle than said annular gear, said second gearbeing rigidly connected with said dial and positioned substantiallywithin said annular gear, and planetary gearing connected with said camto rotate there-- with and positively connecting said gears, saidplanetary gearing being of a ratio to maintain said second gearstationary.

2. In a knitting machine having a needle crial and a cam' for operatingthe needles mounted in said dial, a mechanism for holding the dialstationary while the cam revolves, comprising, in combination, a dialshaft to which the dial is secured, a yoke rotating with said cam, adisk connected with saidy'oke to rotate therewith, a stationary brackethaving an aperture therein to receive said disk and supporting the edgeof the disk, an annulargear secured to said bracket, a second gearsecured to said shaft,

ported in said dial, a mechanism for holding the dial stationary whilethe cam revolves, comprising, in combination, a dial shaft-to which thedial is secured, a yoke rotating with said cam, a disk secured to saidyoke, said shaft projecting through said disk, a spurgear secured tosaid shaft above the yoke, a stationary bracket having an aperturetherein to receive said disk, an internal gear secured to said bracket,planetary gearing supported by and rotating with said disk andpositively connect: ingsaid internal gear with said spur gear, saidgearing being of a ratio to maintain said spur gear stationary Whilesaid disk rotates, and a thread tube mounted in said disk.

1-. In a knittin machine havin a needle dial and a cam for operating theneedles mounted in said dial, a mechanism for holding the dialstationary while the cam rcvolves, comprising, in combination, an annular gear, means supporting said gear in a iixed position, a second gearrigidly connected with said dial and positioned closely ad j acent tosaid annular gear, planetary gear- .ing connected with said cam torotate therewith and positivelyconnecting said gears, said planetarygearing being of a ratio to maintain said second gear stationary, partscooperating to enclose said gears, and a thread tube extending throughsaid enclosure and mounted to rotate with said planetary gearing.

5. In a knitting'machine having a needle dial and a cam for operatingthe needles mounted in said dlal, a mechanism for holding the dialstationary while the camrevolves, comprising, in combination, a Stationaryannular gear, a second gear rigidly connected with said dial,said second gear being of smaller pitch circle than'said annular gearand located substantially Within the latter ear means su portin saidannular gear ror adjustment substantially axially thereof into and outof cooperative relationship to said second gear, planetary gearingpositively connecting said gears, said planetary gearing being of aratio to maintain said second gear stationary, and a support s for saidplanetary gearing connected with gearing supported by said disk andpositively connecting said spur gear and said internal gear, saidgearing being of a ratio to maintain said spur gear stationary.

7. In a knitting machine having a needle dial and a cam for operatingthe needles supported in said dial, a mechanism for holding the dialstationary while the cam revolves, comprising, in combination, a dialshaft to which the dial is secured, a yoke rotating with said cam, adisk secured to said yoke, said shaft projecting through said disk, aspur gear secured to said shaft above the yoke, a stationary brackethaving an aperture therein to receive said disk, an

internal gear secured to said bracket, planet ary gearing supported byand rotating with said disk and positively connecting said internal gearwith said spur gear, said gearing being of a ratio to maintainsaid spurgear stationary while said disk rotates, and means supportingsaidplanetary gearing on said disk constructed and arranged to enable saidgearing to be adjusted to take up lost motion as the gears become worn.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification. I

WALTER A. SIMOND.

